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Gamescom begins tomorrow in Cologne, Germany. The Gamescom website has officially released a list of 'Upcoming Products and Releases", scrolling to the bottom of said list reveals something interesting.
---Update 1---
Eurogamer has received an official statement from Gamescom, who announced Half-Life 3 and Dragon Age 3's inclusion on the products list was a 'mistake'.
We're not sure if this means the names were listed when they were supposed to be kept a secret, since perhaps both Valve and EA would want to keep their big upcoming titles a secret until the reveal, or that the names were included by someone at Gamescom who wanted to get a cheap laugh out of both communities. Regardless, Valve does have a pair of reasonably large booths at Gamescom, so we'll be keeping a keen eye out for any developments over the next few days.
---Update 2---
Our friend Vic over at LambdaGeneration has apparently contacted Gamescom who explicitly told him that Valve had asked Gamescom to put it on the list, and that Valve have contacted Gamescom since the public noticed Half-Life 3's inclusion on the list and ordered them to take it down. If true, it could mean big things for all Valve fans around the world. Here is a quote from Vic.
This has turned out to be entirely false based upon the following update.
---Update 3---
We just received an email from Doug Lombardi, VP of marketing at Valve, who had the following to say.
We think that clears things up pretty well. Seems like a false alarm, folks. Question is, why would Gamescom write about Half-Life 3 in the first place? A publicity stunt to get people excited for the show? A real mistake? Somebody in Gamescom administration having a practical joke?
For now, we're calling this just another pointless rumour, but that still doesn't answer the question of why Valve has two booths in Cologne if they're not showing any games.
---Update 4---
Both Dragon Age 3 and Half-Life 3 have been removed from the Gamescom listings, as shown below.
---Update 5---
And just in case you haven't already lost most of your sanity today...
A logo for Half-Life 3 appeared in the recently released Madcatz Cyborg STRIKE7 Gaming Keyboard advert which appeared on youtube several hours ago. Don't believe us? Check it out. It appears several times, firstly at 0:24, then in greater detail later in the trailer. It also appears alongside the Portal 2 logo, as well as many other logos for popular games and software such as Photoshop and World of Warcraft.
We have no idea if this is just Madcatz joining in on the troll-festivities, or whether Valve has some behind the scenes official partnership with Madcatz, or even whether this is some kind of viral marketing campaign directly from Valve. What we do know, however, is that this is one incredible coincidence.
The list is official, and yes it does infact say that Half-Life 3 by Valve Software will be unveiled at the convention, but we're not sure if we're willing to trust this source 100% as of yet. Call us crazy but this is just one of so many Half-Life related 'hints' to come out in the past few years. We'll keep you posted if we find out more.
In similar news, the GTTV Valve episode airs on 17th August at 1am on the Spike TV network and Gametrailers.com and we still have no idea what the episode may or may not be about. If this Gamescom information is correct and Valve officially reveals the long awaited sequel to Half-Life 2, we believe its more than likely the GTTV episode will feature Half-Life 3 footage of some sort, as well as possibly hinting at other upcoming Valve products, features or updates. This week could potentially be the busiest, and best, in Valve's long history. With the largest Team Fortress 2 update ever releasing on Wednesday, a massive Dota2 tournament ending a few days back, Counter-Strike: Global Offensive launching a week from now, a large Steam community overhaul, a Half-Life 3/Source 2 announcement at Gamescom could just be the icing on the cake for any Valve fan.
---Update 1---
Eurogamer has received an official statement from Gamescom, who announced Half-Life 3 and Dragon Age 3's inclusion on the products list was a 'mistake'.
Dragon Age 3 and Half-Life 3 appearing on the Gamescom-compiled list of games at the show was "a mistake", the organisers have told Eurogamer.
Eurogamer asked three times why the names were listed, but no explanation was given.
We're not sure if this means the names were listed when they were supposed to be kept a secret, since perhaps both Valve and EA would want to keep their big upcoming titles a secret until the reveal, or that the names were included by someone at Gamescom who wanted to get a cheap laugh out of both communities. Regardless, Valve does have a pair of reasonably large booths at Gamescom, so we'll be keeping a keen eye out for any developments over the next few days.
---Update 2---
Our friend Vic over at LambdaGeneration has apparently contacted Gamescom who explicitly told him that Valve had asked Gamescom to put it on the list, and that Valve have contacted Gamescom since the public noticed Half-Life 3's inclusion on the list and ordered them to take it down. If true, it could mean big things for all Valve fans around the world. Here is a quote from Vic.
I have made a second call to Gamescom. I was explicitly informed that Valve were the ones who askedthat HL3 be placed on the list; but that apparently, "just a few minutes ago", Valve requested that HL3 be removed from that list. As of writing, its entry still remains on that list.
This has turned out to be entirely false based upon the following update.
---Update 3---
We just received an email from Doug Lombardi, VP of marketing at Valve, who had the following to say.
We are not showing any games in Cologne this year.
Cheers
We think that clears things up pretty well. Seems like a false alarm, folks. Question is, why would Gamescom write about Half-Life 3 in the first place? A publicity stunt to get people excited for the show? A real mistake? Somebody in Gamescom administration having a practical joke?
For now, we're calling this just another pointless rumour, but that still doesn't answer the question of why Valve has two booths in Cologne if they're not showing any games.
---Update 4---
Both Dragon Age 3 and Half-Life 3 have been removed from the Gamescom listings, as shown below.
---Update 5---
And just in case you haven't already lost most of your sanity today...
A logo for Half-Life 3 appeared in the recently released Madcatz Cyborg STRIKE7 Gaming Keyboard advert which appeared on youtube several hours ago. Don't believe us? Check it out. It appears several times, firstly at 0:24, then in greater detail later in the trailer. It also appears alongside the Portal 2 logo, as well as many other logos for popular games and software such as Photoshop and World of Warcraft.
We have no idea if this is just Madcatz joining in on the troll-festivities, or whether Valve has some behind the scenes official partnership with Madcatz, or even whether this is some kind of viral marketing campaign directly from Valve. What we do know, however, is that this is one incredible coincidence.